Sweater blocker



Jan. 11, 1949. M. DAVIS 2,458,689

SWEATER BLOCKER Filed Jan. 2a, 1945 a Sheds-Sheet 1 -15? Ve n for". fleyer Dav 2L5 1 39 a d. 720% Jan. 11,- 1949. M. DAVIS 2,453,689

' SWEATER BLOCKER M FiledJanJZb', 1945 9 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fF/Eii Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES TNT GFFI'CE 11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to garment hangers or stretchers intended for general use, but is directed particularly to devices of this kind commonly known as sweater blockers and used for stretching or supporting sweaters, or other garments.

The objects of this invention areto provide a, sweater blocker or stretcher which may be readily adjusted for diiierent sizes or proportions of sweaters whereby when the sweater is dried thereon, it will maintain its original or desired size and shape; to provide a sweater blocker which may be adjusted for normally or abnormally shaped garments; to provide a sweater blocker having scales or numerals for indicating the different sizes; to provide a sweater blocker in which the weight of portions thereof will assist in placing the desired tension on other portions such as on the arms; to provide-a sweater blocker of simple and durable construction which may tain of the elements together; and to provide such 2 other advantages and improvements as will be described more iully'hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention, I

Fig, 1 is a front View of the complete blocker;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the upper portion of the blocker with parts shown in section;

Fig. :3 is a perspective View of one of the locking wedges;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line l4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a front view showing a modified form of construction;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail View of the upper portion of the blockers shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a perspective View showing the wedge used in the modified form; and

Fig. .8 is a sectional View taken on the line 88 of Fig. 6.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the blocker i8 comprises two complemental side pieces or frame members i l and it formed of wire which is suificiently resilient or pliable so that the arm per-- tions it and i i'may be bent to adjust them for different sized sleeves. The extreme ends of the upper reaches of the arm portions are bent to provide outwardly extendingprojections or lugs i5. and it. These upper end portions are adjustably secured'togetherby'means'of a bracket or frame member ii, the top edges of which slope downwardly as shown or are shaped to conform to the neck portion of the garment. These upper edges are bent to provide channels or curls id and iii which are defined by downwardly extending flanges 28 and 29. These channels or curls are provided respectively with a plurality of holes 22 and 23 for receiving the lugs or projections i5 and it as best shown inFig. 2. These holes are uniformly spaced in accordance with the sizes of the sweaters, and the flanges are provided with scales or numbers 2 4 and 25 for indicating such sizes when the projections are inserted in the corresponding holes.

The ends of the wires are held in adjusted position by any suitable means which, in the present instance, comprise wedges or keepers 25 which are preferably made interchangeable. These keepers are formed of short flat strips 2"! which are tapered as shown and provided with flanges 28 and thumb pieces 29. When the wedges are in operating position, the upper flange will fit between the back of the bracket ii and the flange 2i as shown inFig. 4. The lower edge'of the bracket is bent around to provide a channel or guidewaytfl for receiving the lower-flange 23 which slidably engages therewith. The inwardly turned edge or flange portion 3% of this guideway is cut away as indicated at 32 at the center of the bracket to permit .the insertion of the wedges which are then held against disengagement by means of a stop or button 33 which may comprise thehead of .a rivet for the hook at.

The lower reaches of the wire or frame mem bers are also provided with lugs or projections 35 and 36 which are identical with the upper lugs and these lower reaches are .adjustably secured together by means of a second bracket 2.? which is the same as the bracket H but with the hook omitted.

It will be noted that the wedges preferably extend to the extreme ends of the bracket in order to hold the wires when adjusted to their outermost or largest sized positions.

1 When the sweater blocker is to be assembled, the keepers or wedges 25 are moved towards the center a sufiicient distance to provide suilicient clearance so that the hooked ends of the wires may be inserted as shown. The wedges are then moved outwardly into close engaging position to hold the wires firmly fixed to the bracket. The sweater blocker may be used in the usual manner and applied to the sweater after the parts have been assembled or the parts may be assembled in the sweater which may be preferable if the sweater is not open at the front.

It will be noted that the arm sections are preferably adjusted so that they fit closely within the sleeves particularly at the shoulders and will place a desired amount of tension thereon. After the sweater has been placed on the blocker and hung up, it will also be noted that the weight of the lower portion of the blocker including the bottom bracket 31 and the weight of the lower portion of the sweater will tend to pull down on the arm sections and act as a continuing weight or tension which will tend to hold the sweater in properly stretched position. The provision of an adjustable bracket at the bottom of the blocker permits adjustment for different waist sizes as well as the main adjustment for the chest sizes so that the blocker may be adjusted for innumerable combinations of chest and waist dimensions.

The modified form of blocker shown' in Figs. to 8 inclusive is substantially the same with the exception of the bracket construction. In this form, the bracket 38 is similar to the one just described except for the construction and ar rangement of the wedges or keepers. These wedges or locking members 39 and 40 have upper flanges which engage with the ends of the frame wires for holding them in adjusted position as shown. The lower flanges engage with a channel 4| at the bottom of the bracket, but in this instance, the upwardly extending edge or flange 42 is not folded over to embrace the flanges on the wedges. The wedges are provided with slots 43 and 44 which engage with rivets 45 and GE extending through the back wall or strip of the bracket as best shown in Figs. 6 and 8. The rivets are shouldered as shown so that they provide means for holding the wedges or keepers in slidable engagement with the bracket as will be readily understood.

While I have shown preferred forms of my invention, it will be readily understood that changes may be made in the arrangements of the parts or details of construction in order to adapt the same for different garments, without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims in which I claim:

1. A sweater blocker, comprising side members each formed of resilient wire and adapted to conform generally with the sleeves and body of the sweater, a bracket for adjustably securing the upper ends of the wires together, means connected to the bracket for supporting the blocker, tapered keepers coacting with the bracket for holding the ends of the wires in the bracket, a bracket for adjustably securing the lower ends of the Wires together, and tapered keepers coacting with the last named bracket for holding the lower ends of the wires in the bracket.

2. A garment stretcher, comprising two resilient complementary side sections for engagement with the sleeves and body of a garment, the upper and lower end portions of said side sections having outwardly extending projections at the ends thereof, brackets adapted to engage with said upper and lower end portions and having a plurality of holes for receiving said projections, and wedge means for securing the end portions in adjusted positions in the brackets, the: portions of the side sections which engage with the sleeves being unsupported and sufficiently resilient to increase the stretch on the sleeves when a garment is being dried thereon.

3. A knock-down stretcher for sweater 2 like, comprising two main side members formed of wire and adapted to conform generally with the arms and body portion of the sweater, a bracket comprising a plate having downwardly sloping channels along the top thereof for receiving the upper ends of the side members, means for adjustably securing the ends of the side members in said channels, a scale having numerals along the upper portions of the bracket for indicating proper positions for the ends of the wires to correspond with predetermined sizes of sweaters, and a hook secured to the bracket for supporting the stretcher.

4. A knock-down sweater blocker, comprising two similar side frame members formed of wire, the upper ends of said members sloping upwardly toward the center and terminating in upwardly projecting lugs, a connecting bracket for the upper ends comprising a plate with downwardly sloping channels along the upper edges thereof for receiving the ends of, the respective side members, holes spaced apart at predetermined distances along the channels for receiving said lugs, said channels having downwardly extending front walls with scales thereon to indicate the holes for receiving the lugs to position the side members for supporting different sized sweaters, wedge-shaped keepers having flanges along their upper edges for engagement with the end portions of the wires and fitting within the upper channels when in fastening position, said keepers also having flanges along the lower edges thereof, said bracket having its longitudinal lower portion folded over the lower flanges to hold them in slidable engagement with the bracket, said folded over portion having a part cut away to permit the insertion of the wedge members, and stop means for retaining the wedge members in operative positions.

5. A bracket for a sweater blocker, comprising a triangular shaped strip having a straight lower edge with a channel shaped guideway extending longitudinally thereof and having its upper edges sloping downwardly from the center toward the ends and provided with channels opposed to said guideway, and tapered keepers slidably engaging with said guideway and adapted to coact with the channels for securing wire frame members to the bracket.

6. A knock-down garment stretcher or holder, having two similar side frame members formed of resilient wire and adapted to fit into the sleeves and body portions of a garment, a substantially triangular connecting strip having a flange with an upwardly turned edge along the lower edge thereof and having curls along the upper edges which slope downwardly from the center toward the ends for receiving the inwardly extending ends of the side members, wedgeshape keepers slidazbly mounted on said flange and adapted to coact with the ends of the side members for holding them in the curls, said keepers having longitudinal slots therein, headed rivets secured to the strip and engaging with said slots for holding and guiding the keepers, and a similar fastening device coacting with the lower ends of the side members for adjustably connecting the same.

7. Fastening means for securing wire side members of a garment stretcher, or the like to gether, comprising a metallic strip having a flanged lower edge and having channels along the upper edge sloping downwardly toward the ends with holes spaced at predetermined dis- {canoes apart in the upper walls of the channels for receiving the ends of wire side members, tapered keepers positioned at either end of the fastening means which engage with said flange and which are adapted to coact with the ends of wire frame members for securing them in adjusted positions, slots in said keepers and means secured to the strip and engaging with said slots for guiding and holding said keepers in operative positions.

8. A knock-down garment stretcher, consisting of two similar side frame members formed of resilient wire, the upper ends of said members sloping upwardly towards the center and terminating in upwardly projecting lugs, a connecting member for said upper ends comprising a plate with downwardly sloping channels along the upper edges thereof for receiving the ends of the respective side members, holes spaced apart along the channels for receiving said lugs, said plate also having a longitudinal guideway along its lower edge, and wedge-shaped keepers engaging with said guideway and adapted to press the ends of the wires into said channels.

9. In a knock-down garment stretcher, two similar side frame sections formed of resilient wire, the upper ends of said sections sloping upwardly toward the center, a connecting member for the said upper ends comprising a plate having flange means along the upper and lower margins thereof, the upper flanges being adapted to receive the extremities of the wire therein, and wedge means between the upper and lower flanges for clamping the wire extremities against the upper flanges.

10. In av knock-down garment stretcher, two similar side frame sections formed of resilient wire, the lower ends of the wire sections extending toward each other at the bottom, a connecting member for the said lower ends comprising a plate having flange means along the upper and lower margins thereof, one of the flanges at each side of the vertical center line of the plate being adapted to receive the extremity of one of the wires therein, and wedge means insertable between the upper and lower flanges for clamping said wire extremities against the flanges which receive them.

11. In a knock-down garment stretcher, two similar side frame sections formed of resilient wire, the upper and lower ends of said sections extending toward each other, connecting mem bers for said upper and lower ends, each connecting member comprising a plate having outwardly converging flange means along the upper and lower margins thereof, one of the flange means being adapted to receive the extremities of the wire therein, and wedge means insertable between the upper and lower flanges and movable outwardly towards the ends of each plate for clamping the wire extremities against the flange means in which they are inserted.

MEYER DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

